Beating The Odds – Episode 5

Beating The Odds – Episode 5
© Brian Ngoma
 
“You are hereby sentenced to life in prison,” the judge struck the gavel against the sound block.
 
Kayila was not surprised. During the trial, she pleaded guilty to stabbing the counsellor and didn’t show any remorse for it. The judge didn’t take it lightly the wh0le time because he expected her to behave otherwise especially when he learned that she was taking care of two children in the cells one of which was her late cell mate who the authorities said died of Tuberculosis.
 
After the trial, she was taken outside to the transportation car. As she got out, she saw Tasha and Kani from a distance standing with a lady. She was confused and looked at the guard.
 
“Yeah those are your children,” he said.
 
Kayila’s eyes were filled with tears.
 
“After what you said about doing what you did for your children, our judge ordered the immediate release of them. They wil be taken to the orphanage.”
 
She sobbed and held her mouth.
 
The guard uncuffed her and told her to say goodbye to the kids. She couldn’t help it but run to them in excitement.
 
“Mayi!” Kani and Tasha ran to her too.
 
She reached them and they all embraced each other with tears streaming down their faces. It had been three weeks since she was isolated with the children. She had missed them deary and she was really hurt that she was parting with them. This was supposed to be a reunion but it was a separation.
 
“Who bathed you?” she asked closely looking at them tears still falling.
 
“Gogo,” Kani answered. “I miss you mayi.”
 
“I miss you too my boy,” she chuckled and hugged him tightly.
 
“Mayi you left us,” Tasha sobbed.
 
“No baby i didn’t, i would never leave you,” she looked at the lady standing some meters away from them. “Who is that woman baby?” she asked Tasha.
 
“Gogo told us we are going somewhere nice. She said we will have our own beds and plenty of food. She also said this woman we’ll take us there. We are going together ka?”
 
“I’m afraid not baby girl but be sure that i will always be with you no matter where you go,” Kayila felt relieved knowing her children where going somewhere safe than the prison.
 
“No Mayi, I want you,” Kani cried.
 
Tasha patted Kani’s back while she sobbed looking at Kayila.
 
“Take good care of each other and always pray for me. Always,” she sternly looked at them. “You hear Kani?”
 
Kani shrugged his shoulders in refusal.
 
“We will never forget Mayi,” Tasha said assured.
 
Kayila knew Kani will be safe as long as Tasha was there. She knew the bond that existed between the two was too big to be broken by anything else in this world. “It’s you two against the world now,” Kayila said and k-ssed them both.
 
The Lady standing who was a social worker from the orphanage came and told them they had to go. Kani couldn’t stop crying till they reached the orphanage. That was the first time both the kids had gone out of the prison. The first week out, Kani got terribly sick. Tasha was by his bedside the wh0le time. She refused to leave him and the nurse saw how much she loved the boy. “Kani get well,” she said sobbing. “You have to get well.”
 
Kani just looked at Tasha with teary eyes. They held each other’s hands. “Tasha!” he called her.
 
 
“Yes Kani,” she responded moving closer.
 
“I want Mayi,” he said dropping tears.
 
“Get well first, we will go see Mayi when you are fine. She won’t be happy seeing you like this. Get well for Mayi. Start eating,” Tasha said. Kani was refusing to eat saying he wanted his mother. There was no one who could convince him at the orphanage. “Will you start eating?”
 
“When I get big again, we will go see Mayi ka?” He asked.
 
Tasha smiled and answered. “Yes.”
 
“Promise?”
 
“I promise.”
 
Kani was back on his feet. A month later, he was eating and playing around like any other boy. Tasha had started school and was doing fine at it. For a girl her age and someone who hadn’t attended any form of school, all the teachers were surprised by her an-lytical skills. She acted like an adult and was considered the most intelligent at the orphanage. Kani on the other hand, hated to be taught. He only wanted to play but everyone understood him, he was only four years old but fought a lot. He was always beating his friends and bullying them around a lot. The kids were getting accustomed to life at the orphanage. They loved it and memories of life at the prison were slowly fading but Mayi was always the centre of their prayers at night. They never missed a night without praying for Kayila.
 
 
One Sunday morning, Tasha was teaching Kani some simple mathematics when the caretaker came and took her away. Kani was left playing with his friends. Tasha was taken to a small office where she found a woman and a man waiting. She looked at the caretaker with a blank face.
 
“Is this her?” the woman asked.
 
“Yes, this is our Tasha. The most intelligent girl here,” the nurse answered.
 
The man and woman looked at each other and smiled. “We have always wanted a smart girl,” the woman said holding the man’s hand.
 
“Who are they aunty?” Tasha asked.
 
 
“Your soon to be parents.”
 
The first thing Tasha thought of was Kani. With her brains, she had figured she was at the orphanage and noticed that some kids were taken away. She once asked an older child and was told that the kids who leave go to new homes. “I cannot leave without Kani,” she began crying.
 
“Whose Kani?” the woman asked.
 
“Her friend,” the caretaker answered.
 
“He’s my brother,” she yelled standing up defiantly.
 
“We thought she has no siblings,” the man said. “This was a mistake,” they got up.
 
“No,” the caretaker objected. “Tasha go out now!” the nurse said. “Don’t you leave, wait on the chairs.”
 
Tasha went outside and sat on a chair crying. She remembered Kayila’s words to take care of Kani. There was no way she would be leaving Kani at the orphanage. Even though life was far much better than the prison, she wouldn’t leave her brother here. What would he do without her?
 
The caretaker came out of the office together with the couple. The couple looked at Tasha and smiled. “See you later T,” the woman said.
 
Tasha didn’t say anything but look at the caretaker. She was called and told to enter the office. She sat across the caretaker.
 
“Tasha!” the caretaker called her.
 
“Yes aunty,” she answered looking at the floor.
 
“Do you love Kani?”
 
“Yes he’s my brother.”
 
“Do you like life at this orphanage?”
 
She hesistated. In her little primitive mind, the life she was living at the orphanage was the best she could wish for. So long as her and Kani ate and slept just fine, they needed nothing.
 
“There’s more out there for an intelligent girl like you,” the caretaker handed Tasha a photo.
 
Tasha grabbed it and saw a beautiful big house. Her eyes w¡dened with curiosity. She had never seen a place like that before. “Aunty this is nice,” she almost shouted.
 
“I know, now imagine you living there.”
 
“Me?” she asked sharply.
 
“Yes you.”
 
Her face turned sad again. “With Kani?” she asked.
 
“No, Kani will join you later,” the caretaker said smiling. “You have to go first and then later on, he will follow you.”
 
“I cannot leave Kani,” she shrugged.
 
“You say you love him. Don’t you?”
 
She nodded.
 
“So you will go there first and then after you are used, he will come so that you show him around. Those people you saw have liked you and they want you to live with them at that big house,” she pointed at the photo in Tasha’s hands. “You will have your own bed, dolls to play with, a lot of clothes and shoes. They will give you everything so that you take good care of Kani.”
 
“Kani will join me?”
 
“Of course he will.”
 
“Okay.”
 
The caretaker breathed in relief and said, ” They will be coming for the next three months and i want you to be on your best behavior. Do what you do best, you’ve heard?”
 
“Yes aunty.”
 
Tasha left the office and found Kani crying looking for her. As soon as he saw her, he sprinted to her. It was almost dusk, she bathed him and they later went to grab dinner. Kani was excited and told Tasha about the friend he was playing football with. Tasha on the other hand was sad but Kani didn’t notice, what mattered to him was she was there with him.
 
Three months later, after a long day of school and play, Kani and Tasha were retiring to bed. Before they went to sleep, they said their usual prayer.
 
“Please God protect Mayi,” they said together.
 
“Tasha i want to see Mayi,” Kani said yawning.
 
“We’ll see her soon,” She covered him with the bed sheet.
 
Kani smiled.
 
“Kani,” Tasha called him.
 
“Hmm,” Kani answered sleepy.
 
“Don’t ever forget Mayi,” she forced back tears. “Promise me.”
 
“Okay Tasha,” he said.
 
“Every night, pray for her. Tell God to protect her always, you hear?”
 
He was fast asleep. That night, he dreamt he had reunited with Mayi. He was so happy in the dream that his friend could hear him laughing in the morning. They were fade up and decided to wake him up. “Kani wake up,” one of the boys shouted.
 
He opened his eyes stretching himself. He looked around and couldn’t see Tasha. “Tasha,” he called.
 
“She’s gone,” one of the boys answered.
 
Kani couldn’t comprehend what the other boy had said. Confused, He got out of bed crying and ran around the wh0le compound looking for Tasha. He couldn’t see her anywhere. He searched all the places he thought he could find her but she was not there. He kept crying and crying even the caretakers couldn’t control him. They just let him cry saying he would eventually stop. He sat at the gate watching each and every car that came into the premises hoping for one to have Tasha but it was a dream far too high to grasp. Tasha was gone.
 
 
To be continued